Calabasas

Calabasas (Spanish for "Squash") is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 23,241, up from 23,058 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1991, prior to which it was an unincorporated portion of LA County. The Leonis Adobe, an adobe structure in Old Town Calab asas, dates from 1844 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in greater Los Angeles. In honor of its namesake the City of Calabas as hold a Pumpkin Festival in October, including carnival games, exhibits, demonstrations and live entertainment. On January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76 crashed in CalabAsas after an earlier takeoff from John Wayne Airport. All nine people on board, including Hall of Fame basketball player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were killed. One of the old neighborhoods is the "Bird'abasne, or Moderne, Park" which is home to a former colony of artists, remnants of the club house, and cabins scattered across streets with bird names, such as Blackbird, Hummingbird, Bluebird, and Hummingbirds. The name is derived from the Spanish calabaza, meaning "pumpkin", "squash", or "gourd" (compare: calabash). Some historians hold the theory that CalabASas is derived. from the Chumash word calahoosa, which is said to mean "where the wild geese fly".

Naming

Calabasas is the primary city name, but also Hidden Hills, Monte Nido, Woodland Hills, Woodland Hls are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Calabasas. The name Calabasas is derived from the Spanish calabaza, meaning "pumpkin", "squash", or "gourd" Legend has it a Basque rancher spilled a wagonload of pumpkins on the road en route to Los Angeles in 1824. The city's official logo depicts a red-tailed hawk flying over the Santa Monica Mountains. The Pumpkin Festival has evolved from a small-town fair to a significant annual event. The current Pumpkin Festival is held at Juan Bautista de Anza Park, but the original festival is believed to have taken place at the site where the wagon carrying pumpkins overturned and produced the area's first pumpkin patch. In honor of its namesake the City of Calab as hold a Pumpkin Festival in October, including carnival games, exhibits, demonstrations and live entertainment.

History

Calabasas was the name given to a ranchería in the Los Angeles area in 1795. Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the area. The city was incorporated on April 5, 1991, making it the newest city in Los Angeles County. On January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76 crashed after an earlier takeoff from John Wayne Airport. All nine people on board, including Hall of Fame basketball player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were killed. The Leonis Adobe, an adobe structure in Old Town Calabas as, dates from 1844 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in greater Los Angeles. In 1770, an expedition headed by Gaspar de Portolá crossed through the area on their return southward to Mexico after venturing into Northern California. in 1776, another party of explorers led by Juan Bautista de Anza camped there on their way northward from Mexico. In 1844, the city's first post office opened, which is still in use today. It is located on the banks of the Santa Catalina River, about a mile from the San Francisco Bay. It was the site of the Battle of the Algodones, which was fought between the U.S. and the Spanish in the early 1800s. The town's name is derived from the Spanish word "calabas," which means "cowboy" or "coward" in Spanish.

Geography

The city is located in the southwest corner of the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles County, and comprises a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is 31 miles (50 km) away from downtown Los Angeles. Calabasas has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with mild, relatively wet winters and hot, dry summers. The commemorative El Camino Real runs eastwest through the city as the Ventura Freeway (US 101). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.0 square miles (34 km²)12.9 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles. of it (0.38%) is covered by water. The city is bordered by the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles to the northeast, Topanga to the east, Malibu to the south, Agoura Hills to the west, and Hidden Hills toThe north. The oldest neighborhood in CalabAsas is Park Moderne, or the "Bird Streets." A former artists' colony, remnants remain of the club house, pool, and cabins scattered across streets with bird names, such as Meadow Lark, Blackbird, Bluebird, and Hummingbird located right behind CalABasas High School. The town is located on the banks of the Los Angeles River, which is a tributary of the Pacific Ocean. It has a population of 2,816. The population of Calab as of the 2010 census was 2,715.

Communities

Mont Calabasas, a community on Las Virgenes Road, was annexed into the city in 2011. Prior to annexation, the neighborhood was located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. The city of Calab as a whole has a population of 1.2 million. The population of the city was 1.3 million in 2010. The number of residents in the city is 1.4 million. CalabAsas is located in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. It is located on the eastern edge of the Santa Catalina Mountains and the northern edge of San Diego County. It lies in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The town's population is about 1.5 million, and it is in the process of annexing parts of it to the city of L.A. and Los Angeles. It also has a small percentage of residents who live in the Santa Monica Mountains, where it is less than one million people. It has a large number of undeveloped land areas, many of which are uninhabited. The community's name comes from the Spanish word for "mountain" or "hilly" and means "hill" in Spanish. The word "calabas" means "home" in English and "asphalt" in the U.S. It means "canyon" in Latin. The name of the community is "CalabasAs" in Italian. It translates to "cascading hills" and "cannabis".

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported Calabasas to have a population of 23,058. The population consisted of 5,841 people (25.3%) under age 18, 1,875 people (8.1%) age 18 to 24, 5,025 people (21.8%) age 25 to 44, 7,414 people (32.2%) age 45 to 64, and 2,903 people (12.6%) age 65 or older. The racial makeup of the city was 85.92% White (including a large Iranian community and people of Jewish faith and ancestry), 2.18% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 7.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races. About 4.74% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. The median income for a household in the city in 2007 was $104,935. In 2010, the city had a median household income of $124,583, with 6.6% of its population living below the federal poverty line. The city has a population density of 1,780.4 inhabitants per square mile (687.4/km²) The city's population in 2005 was 23,123 people, 8,350 households, and 5,544 families. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.14. The town has a median age of 41.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males.

Economy

The corporate headquarters of Harbor Freight Tools, The Cheesecake Factory and DTS Inc. are located in Calabasas. The city is also known as one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. The top employers in the city are: According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers are: J2 Global Communications, Tekelec, and Digital Insight. The area around the 101 Freeway was known as the "101 Technology Corridor" during the dot-com bubble. Although some of these companies have since relocated, been acquired, or ceased operations, the area continues to be home to a significant technology presence. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the city has a population of 1.2 million, with a population growth rate of 0.7% in the last five years. The average household income is $80,000, with an average household wealth of $100,000. The median home value is $1.3 million, and the average house price is $800,000; the average cost of living is $50,000 to $60,000 per home. The highest rate of household incomes is $75,000 and the lowest rate is $30,000 or less; the median household wealth is $55,000  and the median house value is $60,500. The number of people living in poverty is 1.1 million, while the unemployment rate is 2.2%. The city has the highest percentage of women in the U.K. and the second highest percentage among U.N. citizens.

Arts and culture

The Calabasas Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 8:00am to 1:00pm. The Malibu Hindu Temple, located on Las Virgenes Road, is visited by many Hindus and others from both in and outside California. The city sponsors many annual events including the Pumpkin Festival, the Fine Arts Festival, and the Fourth of July Spectacular. The Claretville campus of Thomas Aquinas College was rented by the Claretians from 1971 to 1978. The Gillette Estate/Claretville property is known as the King Gillette Ranch and is part of Malibu Creek State Park. The Hindu Temple Society of Southern California was incorporated in the State of California as a nonprofit religious organization on August 18, 1977. It is located at the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Las VirGenes Road in unincorporated Calab asas. It was founded by the Hindu Temple society in 1977 and is now a non-profit religious organization with more than 1,000 members. The temple is open to the public and is open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm, except on Sundays when the temple is closed for religious services. It has a membership of about 1,500 members, many of whom live in CalabAsas and the surrounding area. The Temple is located on the former Gillette estate, which is now owned by the Church Universal and Triumphant of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rome, and is located in Santa Paula, California.

Parks and recreation

The City of Calabasas Community Services Department operates a number of facilities. Brandon's Village is a public playground that serves over 5,000 special needs children. Wild Walnut Park is an outdoor preserve located along Mulholland Highway. The park was damaged during the Woolsey Fire, with playground equipment, landscaping, and irrigation needing repair. In 2020, a portion of the park was approved to be used as a dog park. The city also operates a senior center, tennis and swim center, and a Klubhouse and Creekside Park. It is possible to rent a car from the city for up to $200 a day, or $1,000 a week for two years. The town is located on the edge of the San Fernando Valley, near Los Angeles and San Diego. It has a population of around 4,000. It was founded in the 1880s, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The current mayor is Fernando Vargas, who was elected in 2010. He was re-elected in 2012, and will be re- elected again in 2016. He is the first mayor to serve a second term in office, and his term will end in 2018. The mayor is also the former mayor of Los Angeles, and served from 2010 to 2013. The last mayor was L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley, who served from 2003 to 2013, and was elected for a third term in 2013. He has served as mayor since 2008, and has been in office since 2013.

Government

The City of Calabasas uses a council-manager model of local government. The city council is primarily responsible for legislative, financial, and political matters, while an appointed city manager serves as the city's chief executive. In 2005, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure D, which protects and preserves existing areas of open space in the city. In 2011, the City Council passed Ordinance 2011-282 which banned grocery stores, convenience stores (minimarts), liquor stores, drug stores, and pharmacies from furnishing single-use plastic carryout bags. In the California State Legislature, the city is in the 27th Senate District, represented by Democrat Henry Stern, and in the 45th Assembly District, representing Democrats Jesse Gabriel and Ted Lieu. The U.S. House of Representatives is in California's 33rd congressional district,represented by Democrat Ted LieU. The mayor has additional responsibilities/duties, but the mayor is not vested with any additional administrative authority. Under the law, smoking outdoors in public areas within the City is restricted to select "designated smoking areas". The law went into effect on March 16, 2006, garnering much local and national media attention. The ordinance was expanded in early 2008, requiring 80% of rental apartment buildings to be permanently designated as non-smoking units by January 1, 2012. In 2007, the Calab as Council adopted Ordinance 2007-233, banning retail food establishments, nonprofit food providers, and city facilities from using food-packaging materials made of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam).

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Calabasas, Los Angeles County, California = 1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 52. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Calabasas = 6.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 23,241 individuals with a median age of 40.2 age the population grows by 15.91% in Calabasas, Los Angeles County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,695.43 residents per square mile of area (654.63/km²). There are average 2.85 people per household in the 8,117 households with an average household income of $124,532 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.60% of the available work force and has dropped -6.24% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 14.92%. The number of physicians in Calabasas per 100,000 population = 213.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Calabasas = 24 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 30. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 284. 70 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 49.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Calabasas, Los Angeles County, California which are owned by the occupant = 78.48%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 24 years with median home cost = $872,390 and home appreciation of -6.80%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.73 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,885 per student. There are 24.2 students for each teacher in the school, 2984 students for each Librarian and 1635 students for each Counselor. 7.59% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 33.46% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 24.20% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).